Working Class
by LokiGirl
Summary: When Tsukushi said goodbye to Doumyouji to fulfill her bargain with Kaede to save her friends, Tsukasa decides to take matters into his own hands. No longer the Doumyouji heir, Tsukasa has to make a living as part of the working class. Manga AU TxT
1. I am no longer Doumyouji Tsukasa

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango. And most likely never will. This story is merely for entertainment purposes.**

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**Working Class  
****By: LokiGirl**

**Summary: **On the fateful night in the rain when Tsukushi told Tsukasa that she didn't love him and left the Doumyouji mansion to fulfill her bargain with Doumyouji Kaede to save her friends, Tsukasa decides to take matters into his own hands. No longer the Doumyouji heir, Tsukasa has to make a living as part of the working class. Manga AU TxT

**

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Chapter 1: I am no longer Doumyouji Tsukasa**

The rain was falling heavy as Doumyouji Tsukasa was making his way home. He was in a good mood, so much so that he was chatting agreeably with his chauffeur. His girlfriend, his standoffish girlfriend, Makino Tsukushi, had of her own free will kissed him only that afternoon. His lips still tingled at the remembrance. From the corner of his eye he saw a person standing by the fence, soaked from the rain. "Hey! Stop the car!"

He exited the car and immediately ran towards the soak figure. "Makino?! What the hell are you doing out in this weather?" He stepped into a puddle to reach her, ruining his shoes. "You're completely soaked. Idiot! Hurry up and come with me."

He reached to grab her hand and she pulled away. "I have... I have to talk to you." She turned her head away and cast her eyes down at the ground. "I can't see you anymore."

Tsukasa backed slightly away. He was absolutely stunned. "What are you saying?"

"I'm leaving your house today."

"Wait a minute," Tsukasa said, not believing what he was hearing. "You're acting really weird. What's this all about?" He looked at her pleadingly. "We went to Usagi-ya and that game center together just this afternoon! You said you wanted to be on equal footing with me so I shouldn't leave home, didn't you?"

Tsukushi lowered her head even more.

He remembered the kiss Makino had given him and pressed again. "Didn't you?"

"I did..."

The fire within him suddenly gave out. "When you said you didn't want to be protected by me, was that just because you wanted to separate yourself from me?" His voiced sound broken and lost.

"No, no! That's not it!" Tsukushi insisted, raising her head for the first time. "I was serious then about what I said about the two of us!"

"Then what is this? Tell me why this is happening!" he demanded loudly. "How can you expect me to agree to this so suddenly?! Tell me!"

Tsukushi lowered her head as tears threatened to come to her eyes. "Your, your mother said that she would get Kayuza-kun and Yuuki's fathers fired unless we split up."

Tsukasa turned to storm into his mother's office, but Tsukushi grabbed his arm. "W...wait, wait! I've decided already. I'm going to cut all ties to the Doumyouji family." He stopped dead in his tracks. "I've already decided..." she said pausing, her voice becoming soft, "to say away from you."

The world around him became cold. "That's not a good enough reason. It's not. What kind of a reason is that? Makino..."

Tsukushi remained silent.

"Have you ever thought of me as just a man? Not a part of my household or in relation to my mother, but just as an ordinary man, even once?"

The silence was deafening. Finally Tsukushi spoke. "If I loved you, I couldn't leave like this. Goodbye..."

Tsukasa, standing in shock, was torn between debilitating sadness and anger. The anger won. Grabbing Tsukushi's arm, Tsukasa spun her around and drew her towards him. "Tell me that to my face Makino."

The rain streamed down her hair like rivers of water. Her head cast down, Tsukushi repeated herself. "If, if I loved you, I couldn't leave like this."

"Look at me," he commanded as he lifted up her chin.

"If I loved you, I couldn't... I couldn't leave like this." Her eyes were full of tears.

Tsukasa pulled Tsukushi against him and placed his head on hers, oblivious of the rain still pouring down upon them. "Makino, don't say things you don't mean."

"I do mean it," she pleaded, trying to free herself from Tsukasa's embrace, "Doumyouji!"

Holding her tightly, Tsukasa backed away from Tsukushi enough to lean down and kiss her. Her lips were wet from the rain and her salty tears, but they were just as soft, warm, and inviting as he remembered them. He heard her gasp quietly before those said lips began to kiss him back. Her hands, which had been pushing against his chest now curled tightly around the soaked material of his suit jacket.

When he pulled back from the kiss and opened his eyes, he was greeted with a forlorn look on Tsukushi's face. "Doumyouji..." He pulled her to him again. "Please," she begged, "Doumyouji... I can't. I have to protect them from your mother because of me--because of us. I can't be with you."

"Yes you can," he said into her hair.

She shook her head which was pressed against his chest. "I can't. I've already struck a bargain, and she's already made good her part of the deal. Now I have to keep up mine, and that means that I can't be with you."

"No it doesn't," he said, gripping her shoulders. "It means that you can't be with Doumyouji Tsukasa." Letting go of her he began to march towards the mansion.

Tsukushi stood rooted in place. His words had made no sense. He was Doumyouji Tsukasa, and nothing could change that, right? "Doumyouji! No, wait Doumyouji!"

She ran as fast as she could to the office in which Doumyouji Kaede was still sitting in behind a desk, but the mad dash she had done less than a half hour ago was taking its toll and her wet and squishy shoes didn't have much traction. She managed to catch up with Tsukasa just as he opened the door to his mother's office.

Kaede looked up from the papers on her desk surprised, but she held onto her cold appearance. "What is it Tsukasa-san?"

He strode directly to her desk. "I am no longer Doumyouji Tsukasa."

"What do you mean my son?" his mother asked as her eyebrows narrowed.

Tsukasa stood up straighter. "I am no longer your heir or your son, Doumyouji-san."

Kaede looked coldly at Tsukushi who was standing at the door before returning her glare towards her son. "Do you realize what that means?"

"Yes."

"You will lose everything that the name Doumyouji has bought you."

"I don't care," declared Tsukasa. He slammed his hands onto Kaede's desk. "I don't want it."

Kaede studied her son carefully before speaking. "You might not want it, but how long can you live like that Tsukasa-san? How long will you be able to live like common trash, without a yen to your name?"

Tsukasa clenched his fist in anger. He didn't know how long he could live like that. He didn't know how to live like that, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was being with Makino Tsukushi. "As long..."

Kaede lifted her hand to silence him. "In time you will regret this, but I see that you need to indulge in this fantasy. You will be dead to this family, privately. Publicly you will remain the Doumyouji heir and continue to go to Eitoku. I will not allow you to jeopardize your future for this childish rebellion. In all other accounts you will no longer be a member of this family until you admit the error of your ways." Her eyes hardened further. "Any monetary help from your friends will be considered an admission of defeat."

Tsukasa looked his mother in the eyes. "I will not be defeated." Spinning he grabbed Tsukushi's hand as he exited.

A half an hour later with the mansion well out of sight, Tsukasa finally stopped walking and dragging Tsukushi behind him. "Doumyouji, what have you done?!" Tsukushi gasped as she tried to regain her breath.

"I saved myself."

"'Saved yourself'?" she asked is disbelief. "Where do intend to live? How are you going to eat? How are you going to pay Eitoku's monthly fees?"

Tsukasa looked at Tsukushi oddly. "My monthly fees were paid in full at the beginning of the year."

"But you don't have the Doumyouji money anymore!" insisted Tsukushi.

"If Doumyouji-san doesn't want what happened tonight to become public and have me continue my enrollment in Eitoku, she won't pull my monthly fees. That was her condition, not mine."

"I suppose," Tsukushi admitted, "rich heirs don't scrap together school fees month by month. But that still doesn't solve the problem of where you're going to live or how you're going to eat."

"I'll get a job and learn how to live like a commoner from the best I know."

Tsukushi was taken aback. Looking at her asking for help wasn't the boy who had red-tagged her in a childish temper tantrum, nor was the boy that had continuously proclaimed his love to her; instead, before her was a man who was determined to do what he felt he needed to do. It made her feel jumpy and hot for some reason.

"Oi Makino!"

The manly visage gone, Tsukushi retorted back, "What Doumyouji?!"

"What do we do now?"

Tsukushi sighed and pulled Tsukasa over to the guardrail and sat down. Tsukasa followed her lead. Sighing again she looked up at him. "How much money do you have?"

He bristled. "I don't have any remember? I just gave it all up to be with you!"

"I didn't ask you to do that for me! I said I didn't want you to protect me," Tsukushi retorted angrily and stood up.

"I'm not protecting you!" he yelled in return, standing up as well. The few pedestrians on the sidewalk walked quickly away from the strange angry couple.

"Then what are you doing?"

Tsukasa looked ready to explode. "Being an ordinary man, not the son and heir of Doumyouji Kaede--millionaire!"

"Oh," Tsukushi sat down again. It was hard to think of Doumyouji wanting to be an ordinary poor man, let alone actually being one.

"Now will you help me?"

"I never said I wouldn't Doumyouji. Now, how much money do you..."

Tsukasa's face went bright red in anger. "I already..."

"I mean cash in your wallet, Octopus-head! Even ordinary men need money."

Feeling contrite, Tsukasa sat down without a word while taking out his wallet. He carefully counted the yen. "Three hundred and fifty thousand, I just got my allowance for the month."

She nearly chocked in shock. Three hundred and fifty thousand for a monthly allowance! "Well, at least that will cover security and rent for a couple of months before you can get a steady paycheck," she said, hoping to sound casual. Hopping to her feet Tsukushi turned around to look at Tsukasa. "Come on, we have to get you an apartment before it's too late."

Tsukasa grabbed her hand. "Wait, where are you going to live? Your apartment's floor caved in."

"I was thinking of going to live with my parents at the fishing village. I have enough for the train ticket."

He gripped her wrist tighter. "You're going to leave me?"

"I... I have to. I don't have the money for security or rent."

"But you said that I did--for a few months." Tsukasa stood up and pulled her into his body, her lips dangerously close to his. "Live with me Makino."

Tsukushi's face was hot. His proximity was doing strange things to her body and he was acting all manly again. "I, I can't live with you, you pervert!"

Tsukasa's face suddenly turned a dark red. "I didn't mean it like that! We can be life-mates."

"What!" screamed Tsukushi appalled. "I'm not going to be your life-mate. We're just barely dating!"

He looked at her confused. "So? You've shared a room with me before. We'll have our own sides of the room if you want."

"Oh," she said calming down. "You meant roommates, not life-mates," corrected Tsukushi.

"Same thing," Tsukasa said in disregard.

"It's completely different," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Tsukasa asked, his lips still only centimeters away from Tsukushi's. He had forgotten about how close he was holding her during their little argument, but now he could only think about how her warm breath felt on his face. He leaned down to kiss her.

Although nervous about their location Tsukushi didn't fight against the kiss. It was sweet and gentle. It was soft and warm. It was everything she had somehow come to expect from a Doumyouji kiss.

Tsukasa was the first to pull back for air. Happily he licked his lips as Tsukushi's eyes slowly opened. "We should get going before business hours are over," Tsukasa said reluctantly.

Tsukushi nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where we can get an apartment?" he asked, suddenly worried.

Tsukushi smiled. "I have an idea or two."

Tsukasa smiled back. "Alright, lead the way then."

Pulling away, Tsukushi grabbed his hand and did just that.

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**A/N:** The story line is manga based but everything else will be influenced by both the manga and the jdrama. Long live Hana Yori Dango! 


	2. Grim Reality

**Working Class  
****By: LokiGirl**

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**Chapter 2: Grim Reality**

Slowly Tsukushi opened the door to the apartment that she had just rented. As a veteran apartment hopper, she knew the best places for the cheapest prices and when they had vacancies. Tsukushi felt rather good about the apartment she had managed to catch in a mere two hours. It was eight tatami mats in total broken into a main room with kitchen and a bath. The landlord had given his word that both the electricity and plumbing was in perfect working order. Not only that, but the rent was such that, after Doumyouji's on hand cash had been used up, they would have no problems paying--if Doumyouji got a job. In short, it was a good day's work.

Tsukasa looked at the small dirty apartment in a completely different light. "This place is smaller than my bathroom!" he exclaimed.

"Former bathroom," Tsukushi reminded him. "And what did you expect for thirty-five thousand yen a month?"

"Something bigger than my bathroom!"

"Former bathroom. You gave that up remember?" Tsukushi looked at him incredulously. "You haven't forgotten that already, have you?"

"No! Of course I haven't," he said in a blustery manner.

Tsukushi gave him a look of obvious disbelief. "Okay... well this thirty-five thousand yen apartment smaller than your former bathroom is where we're going to live from now on."

Tsukasa looked around in distaste. It didn't take that long for him to find something wrong. "The paint's peeling."

"We can fix that," Tsukushi countered.

"There's mold on the ceiling."

"There're treatments for that."

"It's smaller than my bathroom," he yelled childishly, "How can I live in something smaller than my former bathroom?"

Tsukushi trembled in anger. She was tired of his 'I'm better than you' attitude. "Because you're a commoner now! And like every other commoner you're going to have to live like one! And this is how a working class person without a good job or any job and only a few hundred yen in the bank live!"

Tsukasa stepped back from Tsukushi is shock. He was used to her yelling at him, she seemed to do it all the time if she wasn't blushing, but she hadn't yelled at him like this in a while. Not since the double date at the zoo, and she had apologized for that. At least she hadn't said she hated him.

Tsukushi wasn't finished however. "You're no better than I am now! No, you're worse. You don't have a job. You don't have a single clue how to survive without your mother's money!"

"So what if I don't? That's why I asked you to help me!" he retorted back angrily.

"Then shut up about your living conditions!"

Tsukasa's mouth flapped like a fish before he finally shut it. He wasn't used to losing arguments, or at least admitting to it, but this time there was no way to deny it. Casting his head down he attempted to apologize. "So... sorr..." His face became red as a tomato as he lifted it back up. "I can't say it!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Tsukushi glanced at the contrite Tsukasa. This battle was far from over but Tsukushi knew that it would take time to win and now wasn't the time to try. There were much other more pressing things they needed to do first. "Come on. We have to get to storage and the market before they close or it's nothing for dinner tonight."

"We could always eat out," Tsukasa suggested. "That seems like a lot of work for one night."

"We're on a budget?" countered Tsukushi even though that wasn't exactly true. The money from Tsukasa's single monthly allowance was more than enough for both of them to live rather comfortably. Very, very comfortably actually, but Tsukushi didn't want him to get used to a commoner life style he couldn't afford to maintain once the allowance ran out. "That money has to cover the storage fees, the purchase of another futon, your new clothes, food, and of course the next couple of month's rent."

Tsukasa scowled. "Alright, alright, I never knew common people had so much to think about. So where's this storage place?"

"River and third."

He groaned. It was going to be a long night.

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They ended up eating out, budget or no. By the time they had made the three trips, by foot and push barrel, required to bring everything from the storage facility to the small apartment it was quite late and the market was closed. Even if it had been open, Tsukasa wouldn't have let her go or cook as she didn't have the energy to stand up. Grudgingly Tsukushi had admitted to this and had handed Tsukasa twelve hundred yen of his allowance money she had confiscated earlier that day. She didn't trust him with being able to keep on budget considering he was used to spending money like she drank water.

He had come back with hotdogs from a street vendor. Hotdogs being the only commoner food he knew how to buy and wouldn't taste too bad or poison him. After eating they had gone to bed with Tsukushi taking the futon and Tsukasa making a makeshift bed of blankets, being too tired to complain.

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The next morning, Tsukasa woke up to the pain of a foot in the stomach. "Doumyouji get up! We're going to be late."

"Oi, what was that for Makino? Don't you know of any better ways to wake someone up?" he grouched somewhere in-between anger and pain.

Tsukushi placed her hands on her hips. "No. I've been trying for the last fifteen minutes."

Sleepy eyed he looked at the clock. "It's only six forty-five."

"We have to walk to the train, and then walk to school. And we have to buy our lunches at the convenient store."

"Convenient store?" he asked, sounding skeptical.

"Yes convenient store," insisted Tsukushi. "We can't afford those four thousand yen plus meals other Eitoku students buy."

"So, we're going to eat what you eat everyday?"

"No, I usually make mine." She came close to him and smiled. "I'll make yours too everyday if you like."

His face turned crimson and his brain shut down, leaving his mouth on autopilot. "Geh!"

"What do you mean geh? You can make your own then!"

"Eh?" His brain had turned back on. "No, you better make it. If I have to eat that slop, I might as well eat slop made by someone good at making it."

Tsukushi's right eye twitched while her face flushed. She wasn't certain whether to take his comment as an insult or a complement. "Just get ready."

He looked down at his rumpled clothes he had slept in. "What am I going to wear?"

"Well," Tsukushi said without turning around, "since you only own one set of clothes, I would suggest you wear those."

"I can't wear these!" he exclaimed, picking at his clothes, "I've worn these already."

"You don't have a choice. And no, we can't go shopping for clothes before school. None of the clothing stores we can shop at are open until after school starts." She threw him some deodorant. "You're lucky I haven't used that yet."

Tsukasa looked at the deodorant in is hand in revulsion. "It's lavender."

Her face pinked. "I happen to like lavender!"

Tsukasa looked at her shrewdly and smirked. "So you do act like a girl sometimes."

She kicked him.

"Hey! What was that for?" he demanded.

Tsukushi flicked her hair. "That's for implying that I'm not a girl most of the time." She stopped at the door. "Oh, we have to buy breakfast too before we get to school. I'm going to be putting the name on the door. Be out in fifteen minutes, or I'm leaving you behind." With that, Tsukushi went outside.

The trip to school was uneventful except for Tsukasa's nearly constant complaining that his feet hurt. He hadn't followed her into the convenient store nor had he gone with her to get the train tickets. Both were something she was grateful for, although she could have done without his imperial manner. Their luck had run out however when they reached Eitoku's gates.

"Excuse me," stated a large security guard wearing a neat black suit and dark sunglasses, "you can't enter."

Tsukushi stopped to argue with the man. "What? Why? I have my uniform."

"Not you miss," he said with a shake of his head. "You sir, you're not allowed onto Eitoku property without a uniform."

Tsukasa looked flabbergasted. "What do you mean I'm not allowed onto Eitoku property without a uniform? Don't you know who I am?"

"No sir," replied the security officer with a twitch. It was obvious that he knew exactly who he was talking to--Doumyouji Tsukasa. "Please show me your Eitoku student identification card."

"I don't carry around that stupid thing!"

"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premise," the security guard ordered. "If you don't I'll be required to remove you by force."

Tsukasa's eyes narrowed in anger. "Remove me by force? How about I remove you by force?!"

"Doumyouji, don't!"

At that moment Akira and Soujirou walked up to the front gate. "What's going on here? Tsukasa?"

The security guard looked at the two and immediately answered. "I was just informing this gentleman that without a uniform or Eitoku student identification card he will need to leave the premise immediately, Mimasaka-san, Nishikado-san. I didn't mean for this to be of any inconvenience to you."

Soujirou and Akira looked at each other confused. How did the security guard not know who Tsukasa was? He certainly knew who they were. Soujirou was the first to speak. "You don't know who he is?"

"No sir," answered the guard. "Do you know who he is Nishikado-san?"

"Of course we know who he is!" declared Akira. "He's Doumyouji Tsukasa, and before you ask it, yes he goes to this school."

"Well," replied the man looking conflicted, "if you vouch for this Doumyouji Tsukasa, I suppose I can let him onto the grounds today."

Giving the security guard an evil glare Tsukasa marched into Eitoku and was herded by Soujirou and Akira to a private quite location. Tsukushi followed after them. They finally stopped at a grove of expensive imported trees at the southeast corner of the high school's grounds. The only sounds were those of the winter birds chirping and the branches swaying in the wind.

Akira stopped and turned to look at Tsukasa. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," he said, crossing his arms angrily.

Tsukushi looked at him disbelievingly. "You don't know? You don't know Doumyouji?"

Soujirou and Akira whipped around to stare at Tsukushi. "You know what's going on?" they both asked.

"Of course, I was there when Doumyouji imperially told his mother that he no longer wanted to have anything to do with the Doumyouji family or their money."

"What!" Akira and Soujirou spun around to look at Tsukasa again. "You're no longer the Doumyouji heir?"

"Oh no, he's still the Doumyouji heir--publicly. Privately however," continued Tsukushi, "Doumyouji isn't worth enough to lick her shoes anymore. He's dead to her."

They stared at their best friend in shock. Tsukasa had always lived arrogantly with the power and money that came with being the Doumyouji heir. They couldn't imagine him without it. "Why are you here then?"

"It was her condition that I still attend Eitoku," Tsukasa said in defense of himself.

Akira glanced at Tsukushi for a more detailed answer.

"Doumyouji Kaede is certain that Doumyouji won't be able to live as a penniless commoner and will come crawling back to her and her money soon enough."

Soujirou nodded in agreement. "It makes sense."

"So, since Doumyouji's mother is convinced he'll come crawling back, she doesn't want his future ruined by a public announcement that he has disowned the Doumyouji name, and that means he still must attend Eitoku."

"Isn't that what I just said?" demanded Tsukasa, shaking his fists.

"No," came the reply of all three.

Akira looked thoughtful for a moment. "But then why didn't the security guard let Tsukasa through?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does," Tsukushi said in admonishment. None of them understood what it was like to not have money. Heck, they didn't understand what it was to be an only moderately rich millionaire. "She said Doumyouji had to continue attending Eitoku and publicly be the Doumyouji heir. She never said he'd be allowed to enjoy any of the perks of being the heir to multi millions."

Tsukasa looked at Tsukushi confused. "Huh?"

Tsukushi sighed. "Didn't you pay attention to your mother? She said, 'You will lose everything that the name Doumyouji has bought you,' that includes going to school without having to wear your uniform. Kazuya can't do that. Asai and her cronies, Sakurako--no one but the F4 could get away with that, because of who you are, because of who your parents are. But now, as far as Doumyouji Kaede is concerned, you are no longer her son and she's made sure that you will feel it." Tsukushi took a deep calming breath. "Are you finally starting to see what you really gave up in that office yesterday?"

Tsukasa stood dumbly in front of Tsukushi, unable to say anything. He truly hadn't realized how impacting his decision to leave the Doumyouji family would have on his life, and all of a sudden he was sure that he didn't know the half of it--yet. He looked Tsukushi in the eye. "I'll have to buy a uniform, won't I?"

"Buy a uniform?" Tsukushi had almost choked. "It's a Michinakawa Bira uniform. You just don't buy a Michinakawa uniform. You scrimp and save for one."

"We'll buy you a few uniforms," said Rui as he came walking towards them. "Right guys?"

"Ri..."

"No!" yelled Tsukasa, interrupting Akira and Soujirou. "I can't accept any money from you guys!"

Soujirou looked at him suspiciously. "Have you become a second Makino? We're your friends."

"That's right," added Akira. "We'll help."

"No! You don't understand. You can't help me." Tsukasa looked to Tsukushi for a hand.

Pursing her lips Tsukushi explained for Tsukasa. "It's one of his mother's conditions. If Doumyouji gets help from the F3 or any other of his friends it'll be an admission of defeat."

"And I refuse to lose to that woman." Tsukasa's eyes burned with determination. "I will never come crawling back."

"Good for you," congratulated Akira, thumping his friend on the back.

Rui looked at Tsukasa in worry. "Are you sure you'll be able to..."

"You want me to crawl back to that woman?" yelled Tsukasa angrily. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"I'm not on anyone's side, Tsukasa," Rui replied with a sigh.

Tsukasa's eyes narrowed on Rui. "You don't think I can do it."

"It's not that..."

"Then what are you saying Rui?" interrupted both Akira and Soujirou.

The wind blew loudly in the stillness between the four friends. The silence was tense and awkward. Tsukushi moved to speak, knowing what Rui meant to say.

Soujirou stopped her with his arm. "No, Makino. I want to know what Rui means." He glared at Rui, daring him to speak.

"What happens after Tsukasa proves to his mother that he doesn't need her money?"

Tsukasa looked at Rui in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Rui looked directly at Tsukasa. "What happens after you prove that you don't need her money? Will she publicly renounce you?"

"I don't understand you you're so worried about that," said Akira with a shake of his head. "It's what Tsukasa would want, isn't it? To finally break all ties with that woman?"

Tsukasa nodded his head in agreement.

"But then she'll be able to act more publicly against you," Rui countered.

"Why?" asked Soujirou. "There'd be nothing to gain from harassing Tsukasa if he was no longer the Doumyouji heir."

Rui shook his head. "Doumyouji Kaede hates losing, but even more, she hates being made to look like a fool. Tsukasa, you should know this more than any of us."

He nodded his head mutely.

"And I can't think of anything more embarrassing for her than having her heir denouncing the Doumyouji name," continued Rui.

"But she could always claim she disowned him. Couldn't she?" asked Akira. "Tsukasa isn't known for his brains after all."

Tsukasa's face grew red. "Look who's calling the skillet black!"

"Kettle, not skillet, Doumyouji."

"What?" demanded Tsukasa.

"I said, it's kettle, not skillet you idiot. The saying is 'look who's calling the kettle black', or 'the pot is calling the kettle black'," explained Tsukushi. "And you just proved Mimasaka's point. I don't think anyone would disbelieve it if Doumyouji Kaede said she disowned her son because he was too stupid."

He bristled. "I am not stupid!"

"Yes you are," she retorted moving closer to him. "You can't even speak Japanese without making mistakes daily."

"I'm not stupid!"

Soujirou chuckled. "She has a point there Tsukasa."

"It doesn't matter," Rui piped in before Tsukasa could continue the argument on whether he was stupid or not. "The media won't believe it. Tsukasa's mother won't be able to hide everything, even if Tsukasa manages to keep his mouth shut while the media is interviewing him after the public announcement. After that sort of embarrassment she won't stop at anything to settle her score with Tsukasa."

A sudden chill came over Tsukasa. "What could she do?"

"Nothing at first," stated Akira. "She wouldn't want the press finding out she was harassing you."

Rui nodded. "But later, she could do the same thing to you she did to Makino's friends."

"Why would I care about that?"

Rui looked at Tsukasa seriously. "You want to one day marry Makino, don't you?" Tsukushi and Tsukasa both blushed furiously. "Isn't that why you defied your mother Tsukasa? So that you could choose who you married?"

"Of course it was!" shouted Tsukasa.

"And how will you provide for Makino if you can't hold a job?" pressed Rui.

"I can provide for myself!" declared Tsukushi. "I don't need to be taken care of by anybody."

"What happens when you get pregnant?" asked Akira somberly.

Tsukushi looked like a deer caught in headlights. She could only think about the conversation she had had with Tama only two nights ago about starting a 'carnal relationship with the young master' as Tama had put it, and make a baby. "Pregnant! Me? With... with... with Doumyouji's baby?"

Tsukasa looked at Tsukushi pleadingly. "You do want a family with me someday, don't you?"

"What! We're barely even dating! How could you be thinking about having babies?"

Akira and Soujirou smirked at each other. "It's natural for a man to think about making babies Makino, or at least the practice," they said together in a knowing manner.

"The... the practice?" stuttered Tsukushi. Now her brain had fast-forwarded slightly in her conversation with Tama when she had asked if she knew how to make a baby. Unbidden, images of exactly how she and Doumyouji would 'make' a baby came to her mind.

Akira nudged Soujirou with his elbow. "I think we broke the working virgin's brain."

Soujirou nudged Akira back. "I think we broke the once heir and still virgin's brain too."

The bell announcing the start of first period rang, snapping Tsukushi out of her daze. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I'm late again." Not caring about the rest of the conversation by the F4, Tsukushi dashed to class. Hopefully Tanaka-sensei wouldn't be too angry with her when she entered the class late.

"Joking aside, what will you do when Doumyouji Kaede comes after you Tsukasa?" asked Akira, once again completely serious.

"I would just find another job. She doesn't have connections with everything in Japan. She's not that powerful!"

Soujirou sighed. "She's not all powerful, but she's powerful enough. She can get ties with any company she wants. It wouldn't take her long to be able to sway any company you worked for in Japan."

"There are plenty of companies too small for Doumyouji corp. to become partners with but too financially secure for her to undermine their company's resources," insisted Tsukasa, sounding all of a sudden rather intelligent and knowledgeable.

"Yes," admitted Akira, "but they look for highly skilled employees. You might not even earn a college degree."

Tsukasa folded his arms against his chest. "Not everyone gets a college degree. They manage somehow."

"Not in very well paying jobs. Especially if you don't have the luxury of working up the company's ladder with hard work if you've been forced to job jump by your mother," asserted Soujirou.

Akira sighed. "You've really gotten yourself in a sticky situation."

Tsukasa nodded.

"You can't lose against your mother, and you can't afford to win."

The wind chilled Tsukasa to the bone as the reality of his possible grim future sunk in. Trembling in fear for the first time in his life Tsukasa looked to his friends for advice. "What should I do?"

"Prove to your mother you don't need her money."

"And then?"

"I don't know," admitted Rui, "I don't know."

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**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciated them, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as last chapter. Tsukasa's going to be living day by day without an idea what he wants to do with his life for a while. Next Chapter: Learning to be Poor 


	3. Learning to Be Poor

**Working Class  
****By: LokiGirl**

**Chapter 3: Learning to be Poor**

The trip home from school unnerved Tsukushi. Tsukasa had been quiet, absolutely quiet for the entire affair. His eyes had looked at everything and yet at nothing at all. Not even the rude middle schooler who had bumped into both Tsukushi and Tsukasa and had almost knocked them over without even a word of apology had failed to flare the legendary temper of Doumyouji Tsukasa. She had not thought it possible, but Tsukushi wished for the imperial complainer of that morning or even the arrogant prick she had first met over this silent morose imposter that had taken him over.

Tsukasa meanwhile had been in deep thought. His subconscious had taken care of the mundane actions of returning to his new home, and as a result had completely missed Tsukushi's worried glances. On any other day Tsukasa would have been thrilled to have known that she cared so much about him, but had he even noticed her concern, it would not have pulled him out of his musings.

Tsukushi turned the keys and opened the door. As she walked in she was flooded with the warm, soft, happy feeling of finally being at home. The room was far from perfect. The paint on the walls was peeling, and there was mold on the ceiling. She intended to fix both problems with her next paycheck, but nevertheless the small eight tatami mat apartment was already more of a home to her than Doumyouji's mansion had ever been.

"Makino"

Startled, Tsukushi turned around towards the source of Doumyouji's voice. "Huh? What! What?"

"Teach me how to be a commoner Makino."

Tsukushi backed away, surprised at the hard and determined intensity of his eyes. She had seen that look staring at her before. It was the look he gave those who had crossed him, and it frightened her. "Dou... Doumyouji..."

"I will not lose." He grabbed her shoulders and she trembled in fear. "I will not lose you because of my mother." Tsukasa's grip slackened. "I don't know how to do anything like you do." His eyes softened. "I need you Makino."

Tsukasa's stomach rumbled loudly. Tsukushi had tracked him down at lunch to give him his store bought bento, but he hadn't been hungry and had thrown it away without a second thought. She had yelled at him, citing multiple reasons his thoughtless action had been wrong. Now he looked at her uncomfortably, hungry well before dinner like she had predicted, without the bento he should have saved from lunch until he was hungry.

Tsukushi laughed which immediately made Tsukasa self-conscious. "What are you laughing about?"

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," she said not thinking, enjoying the moment too much. Tsukasa gapped and turned a darker shade of red, having become even more embarrassed. "I suppose we can start your education at the grocery store. We need to buy food tonight whether or not your stomach decided to," Tsukushi paused to find the right words, "express its distress."

"Makino!" he cried pleadingly. At that moment he thought it possible that he could die from mortification.

Suppressing her hilarity, Tsukushi herded Tsukasa out of the apartment and to the grocery store.

"Now," stated Tsukushi, desperately struggling to keep her patience with Tsukasa who was admittedly trying to understand what she was teaching him, "Which bag of rice would you buy? Remember everything I've explained."

Tsukasa was sweating. He didn't shop often, and when he did, previously, price was not a consideration. Now all of a sudden it was a major, major factor, and grocery shopping was harder than he had thought possible. He had learned that vegetables came in several categories including 'too far gone', 'too expensive', 'that's outrageous', 'highway robbery', and 'put in the basket'. Meat and fish came in 'that looks good', 'you got to be kidding me', and 'not fresh enough'. Foods packaged in boxes and bags however were on a separate level of consideration all together. They must have spent twice the amount of time used in the vegetable and meat sections as they did the aisle after aisle of packaged foods. Brands, sizes, types, unit price, and retail price were somehow put together in a complex mathematical equation that only Tsukushi understood. But somehow she eventually separated everything into 'definitely not', 'it's cheaper to buy the smaller size!', 'we won't be able to use it all before it goes bad', 'oh, brand name's on sale today,' or 'store brand it is'.

Tsukasa took a large breath to calm himself down. He had asked her to teach him, and she had. Now it was his first test. Tsukushi being Tsukushi probably wouldn't get too upset if he didn't do well, but he wanted to. He wanted to prove to her that he was serious about learning about how to be a commoner. He wanted her to know that her time had not been wasted. That he, Doumyou...that Tsukasa, her boyfriend, was listening and doing his best. But most of all he wanted to prove to Tsukushi that he wasn't stupid. Even though he was used to everyone making fun of his intelligence, and even though he knew there was nothing he could really say to defend himself, it still hurt to hear his best friends and girlfriend seriously debate whether or not 'he's too stupid to be the Doumyouji heir' was a credible cover story for his disownment from Doumyouji Kaede and her manipulative ways.

He looked at the shelves and shelves of rice. There was instant rice in small boxes, parboiled rice separated by grain size, brown or white, and type in both boxes and bags. Some of the bags could fit in the palm of his hand while others Tsukasa was positive that Tsukushi couldn't lift and had to wonder if he could lift them. He turned to Tsukushi. He had to ask a question even though he knew it would lower his 'score' and his pride. There were just too many options for him to even start. "What type do you want?"

Instead of looking disappointed as Tsukasa thought she would however, Tsukushi smiled. "Standard short grained white rice. I'm not making foreign food."

Encouraged by Tsukushi's positive response to his first question Tsukasa decided to ask a second question in attempt to limit his choices some more. "How much do you want to buy?"

Her smile grew wider. "Our kitchen's small, so we can only really store ten to fifteen kilograms. But remember that we have to walk home with all this," she said pointing at the rather large pile of food 'essentials' they were already buying.

"Okay," thought Tsukasa to himself, "that means ten kilograms." Ignoring everything but parboiled long grained white rice bags ten kilograms or less, Tsukasa started checking prices and unit prices in earnest. Finally he picked up one of the ten kilogram bags.

It wasn't the one she would have picked, although she had to admit that it was the best price that day. She normally bought Nakamura rice, finding that it made in her opinion better onigiri than King's rice, but Doumyouji wouldn't have known about her slight preference. Tsukushi nodded at his choice. "Very good, but" Tsukushi said, looking at Tsukasa in askance, "can we buy Nakamura rice instead? It makes better onigiri."

Tsukasa smiled, quiet pleased with himself. He had chosen correctly. "But it's more expensive."

"Only twenty eight yen more," insisted Tsukushi.

"Only twenty eight yen more?" questioned Tsukasa with a raised eyebrow. "I thought we were on a tight budget. That's what you keep on telling me."

"Doumyouji! If you're worried about twenty eight yen you have a lot more to worry about than that twenty eight yen!"

"Alright," he conceded. "I suppose I could let you splurge--from time to time."

She looked at him incredulously. "Let me splurge? You lived your entire life as one humongous splurge without even knowing it! And you're lecturing me about splurging?"

Tsukasa chuckled. It was fun teasing Tsukushi. "Buy whatever rice you want Makino. It doesn't matter. I made a good choice."

Tsukushi ignored Tsukasa as they checked out of the store and made their way home. It wasn't until the apartment was within a hundred meters that Tsukushi turned to speak with Tsukasa. "You made a good choice. Choosing King's rice I mean," Tsukushi said in a way of apology. "I didn't except you to do so well."

He lifted his carriage into a boastful position and placed his hands on his hips. "Of course I did well. I'm Doumyouji Tsukasa." He caught her looking at him oddly through the corner of his eye and immediately realized what he had said. Slumping down he sighed. "Thank you."

Tsukushi grinned. "You're welcome."

Smiling like crazy Tsukasa grabbed the heaviest bag Tsukushi was carrying and ran up the steps to their apartment. Scowling, Tsukushi ran right behind him. "Doumyouji, what are you doing? I'm not a weakling!" She stopped abruptly. Tsukasa's demeanor had completely changed.

"Why does it only read Makino?" he asked in a cold voice without turning around to look at Tsukushi.

"The landlord already knows that my name is Makino."

Tsukasa turned and grabbed her wrist tightly. "That's not what I asked. I said, 'why does it only read Makino?'" he stated, stressing the word only. "Why isn't my name on the door too?"

"Because, because..." she sputtered, trying to articulate her rationale, "I can't have the neighbors thinking that I'm living with a strange man!"

"A strange man?"

"I'm not married and you're obviously not my brother!"

He bristled. "Your boyfriend is a strange man?"

"When he's living with his girlfriend he is!"

"That makes no sense!" he retorted. "What's wrong with having your boyfriend as your roommate? It's not like I'm a random guy you picked off the street!"

Tsukushi blushed. "They'll assume that we're... that we're... doing things."

"What things?" asked an obtuse and annoyed Tsukasa.

She blushed to an even brighter shade of red and pushed Tsukasa into their apartment. "Perverted things..."

"Oh" His face turned beat red before he suddenly smiled wide.

Tsukushi backed away. "What's with that look?"

He stepped forward into her personal space and leaned down. "What if I want to do perverted things with my girlfriend?"

"What?! No, no, no, no, No!" she screamed, pushing Tsukasa away from her as she wound up to hit him. Her slap stopped mid swing as a large and strong hand grabbed her wrist. Frightened, she closed her eyes tight. There was nothing she could do if Doumyouji Tsukasa decided to physically overpower her. She had learned that the hard way more than once. At the sound of laughter her eyes flew wide open. "What's so funny?" she demanded, her anger returning.

"You," he said, pulling Tsukushi closer. "Didn't I tell you I would wait?"

Tsukushi's lip quivered. "You did but..."

"Don't you trust me?" he asked as his other hand moved up to caress her face.

"I do but..."

He silenced her with a finger. "It's alright, I understand." Tsukasa smiled. "It's the same as when you came to personally tell me that you're still a virgin."

"I didn't..."

His smile grew wider. "You want everyone to know that you're not like those girls Soujirou goes out with."

"Well... yes, but..."

He softly kissed her lips. "I promise not to tarnish you."

Tsukushi's cheeks flushed a pretty pink. "Doumyouji..."

"Eh? What's this?" demanded Tsukasa as he stepped back into a small puddle of water.

His harsh voice ruined the mood he had created moments before and pulled Tsukushi out of her daze. She looked down at the puddle Tsukasa was pulling his foot out of. "Ah! The ice is melting! We have to put the food away before the fish goes bad!"

"What! There's more work?"

"Of course there is you idiot!" yelled Tsukushi. "Do you think the groceries are going to put themselves away?"

"No... Well sort of. I never thought of those things before," admitted Tsukasa lamely.

Tsukushi sighed, she should have expected this. "You put the groceries away and I'll start cooking dinner right away. I know you're hungry."

Tsukasa nodded as a way of saying thanks. She had told him earlier that she wouldn't make dinner until six, and it was only five.

They worked or waited in silence until dinner, the air suddenly becoming awkward as both realized that although they had already 'lived' in the same house, if the Doumyouji mansion could be called a house, they had never lived together in such small quarters. After all, the apartment was smaller than Tsukasa's former bathroom.

Tsukushi was the first to break the silence as they started dinner. "I hope you like it. It's only..."

He grimaced, and pushed the food on the communal plate around. "What is this?"

"...tofu," she said, finishing her sentence that he had interrupted.

"And we're supposed to eat this?" He pushed a whitish grayish cube over and looked at her incredulously. "Are you sure this is edible?"

"Yes it's edible!" she shouted. "I'm sorry that we poor people don't live and eat to your previous standards!" Angrily she took some food and began to eat.

Tsukasa continued to look at the food in suspicion and pushed it around. His growling stomach however had no such prejudices and eventually convinced him to eat. He ate enough to stave off his hunger, and albeit grudgingly, had to admit at least to himself that the food wasn't too bad. Out loud he commented, "I don't know how you eat this everyday without being starving first."

Tsukushi looked at him intently. She was beginning to notice when Tsukasa was only acting tough. "Because else we would starve?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm not a chef at your disposal, so it's either eat what I cook, cook your own food, or go hungry. Your choice Doumyouji."

He looked down at the plate in front of him. "Thank you for the food."

She smiled. It was a start. "You're welcome. Have you thought about how you're going to acquire Eitoku uniforms?" she asked, changing the subject.

He nodded. "We'll have to steal uniforms from my closet back at the mansion."

"That's the best idea you could come up with!?"

"Yes!" he shouted back. "You said we don't have the money to buy them, and the guys can't buy them for me. How else would I get them?" He folded his arms over his chest. "Do you have any better ideas?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"Ha!" he gloated superiorly.

Tsukushi huffed angrily. There had to be a better way than sneaking into the Doumyouji mansion and stealing uniforms--uniforms that his mother probably had guarded by a small army. "Wait!" Her head snapped up. "Your mother only said that your friends couldn't help you monetarily right?"

"Yeah, so?" asked Tsukasa confused.

Tsukushi smiled and laughed almost evilly.

"Makino?" Tsukasa shied away and stared at his girlfriend warily, slightly afraid of this before unseen side of her.

Her smirk widened. "Call the F3 Doumyouji. Tell them to met us at Hanazawa Rui's place... and tell them to bring their uniforms."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for the encouraging reviews. I really appreciate them and I hope you all loved this chapter too. My favorite part was when Tsukasa acts all superior 'letting' Tsukushi 'splurg' on rice. lol 


	4. Of Uniforms and Inflitration

**Working Class  
****By: LokiGirl**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Of Uniforms and Infiltration**

Tsukasa sat irritably on the over stuffed furniture of the Hanazawa mansion. He and Tsukushi had arrived fifteen minutes ago while Akira and Soujirou were still somewhere in the process of finding their Eitoku uniforms and making their way to Rui's. Rui himself had just sat down across from Tsukasa after finding his uniforms, and Rui wasn't anywhere near the attire connoisseur that Akira or even Soujirou was. But the wait wasn't what had soured Tsukasa's mood. Disagreeably he glanced at Tsukushi who was having an animated conversation with her 'Hanazawa Rui'.

He knew... well he was confident, or rather he was pretty sure... he chose to believe Makino that nothing was going on between her and her 'Hanazawa Rui' even though the sight of them just sitting together and talking in his presence made his blood boil and the dragon of jealously raise its ugly head. As much as he loved her, it was hard to believe that nothing was going on between the two of them when it came to Rui. Rui had been her first love. Was? Is? At times Tsukasa found it hard to tell. Makino always spoke of her 'Hanazawa Rui' in a soft wistful voice that he desperately wished she'd talk about him in. But it wasn't just that. Her eyes always lit up whenever Rui was near and she always seemed to hang onto his every word like it was a lifeline or the sweet words of her lover.

Tsukasa's right eye twitched at the thought. Makino never listened to him like that. Listen? She never listened. They were more likely to have a shouting contest than a normal conversation. The possibility of them speaking soft sweet loving words to each other was about as bleak as the prospect of his father suddenly wanting to form a relationship with his estranged son. Tsukasa laughed humorously to himself. That was even assuming if he even knew his son was estranged in the first place.

"Isn't that right Doumyouji?"

Surprised at hearing his name Tsukasa lifted his head and looked towards the source of her voice. "Huh?"

"I was just telling Hanazawa Rui about our trip to the grocery store today."

"What about it?" he asked, bristled. Makino had called Rui 'Hanazawa Rui' again. She was always calling him Hanazawa Rui and it never ceased to anger Tsukasa at how easily and casually Makino used Rui's given name. The only time Makino used his given name, the word 'hate' and a foot directed at his head had been involved. It was little comfort that Rui's given name was always preceded by Hanazawa.

Tsukushi sat up straight on the couch, ready for a fight. "I was telling him about how well you did today picking the rice."

"So?" he asked gruffly, trying to hide a faint blush. "It wasn't that hard after you told me what you wanted to buy."

Tsukushi wanted to punch him. "Well I hadn't expected you to do as well as you did and I had been about to tell Hanazawa Rui that I might be able to make a commoner out of you yet," she finished with a huff.

"What does that mean?" asked Tsukasa, standing up.

"It was a compliment you idiot!" Tsukushi retorted back, standing up mere inches away from Tsukasa. "It's not my fault that you can't tell a compliment apart from an insult!"

Tsukasa's face grew red. "I would be able to tell the difference if your supposed compliments didn't come with discalmers at the beginning of them!"

"It's disclaimers you idiot."

The door to the room opened as Tsukasa was taking a preparing breath for his retort. Akira popped his head inside. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything," he said with a knowing smile.

"No," Rui stated calmly as he stood up to stretch. "It's just another fight between Makino and Tsukasa."

"Oh, perhaps we should leave and lock the door then," commented Soujirou, as he grabbed Akira's arm. "One of these days a fight is going to break the sexual tension around those two and we won't have to deal with the annoying virgins anymore." Tsukasa and Tsukushi both turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Sou...Soujirou!"

"Nishikado!"

"Look," he said pointing at the two with a feral grin, "they agree with me."

Glancing at Tsukasa, who was so red that he looked ready to explode, and whose fists were now clenched tightly, Akira decided to end the virgin teasing--for now. An angry Tsukasa was a risk to the health of anyone in the vicinity. "Why did you call us over Tsukasa?" he asked in a calming voice. With a sneer he tossed Eitoku uniforms onto a chair. "And why did you make us find those?"

"I don't know. It's all Makino's idea."

As one the boys turned to Makino. "Well," Tsukushi swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "Doumyouji Kaede said that you couldn't help monetarily, but she didn't say that Doumyouji couldn't borrow your uniforms."

"That won't work!" shouted Tsukasa.

Tsukushi was confused. "Huh? Why not? I've borrowed clothes from Shizuka-san and Tsubaki-onee-san. If I can fit into their clothes with too much in some places, and without having..." Tsukushi blushed furiously as she realized what she was going to say next, "enough of in other places, I'm sure that you... you..." She paused and hesitantly tried again. "I'm sure that you... that with all your parts and proportions right..." Tsukushi reddened. Nothing she was saying seemed to come out right. "I just can't see why you couldn't borrow one of the F3's clothes. You're all about the same size," she rushed out, wanting to end her embarrassment as quickly as possible.

Soujirou was grinning widely and ribbed a stunned Tsukasa. "So she's noticed that all your parts and proportions are right?" He slapped him on the back. "You're already half way there!"

"Well, since Makino can't 'see' why Tsukasa can't borrow our uniforms, I guess Tsukasa is just going to have to make sure she does. What do you think Soujirou?" asked Akira causally as he leaned forward.

Tsukushi pulled back worriedly. That look in Mimasaka's eyes didn't bode well--for her. "Wha... what perverted thing are you planning?"

"Perverted?" Akira motioned to himself and pretended to be wounded by her words. "I'm hurt Makino. I wouldn't suggest anything perverted to you. You're Tsukasa's young virgin." The took a quick glance at Tsukasa who was smiling , obviously on cloud nine. "Now, if you were to ask..."

"Tsu, Tsu, Doumyouji's young virgin!" interrupted Tsukushi with a rise of anger. "I'm not anybody's virgin!"

"Oh?" asked Soujirou interestedly. "You did it behind Tsukasa's back?"

"What?" Subconsciously she turned to look directly at Tsukasa. "No, no, no, NO!" she exclaimed, her hands waving negatively in the air. Her gaze didn't waver from Tsukasa's narrowed eyes, silently pleading for him to believe her. The slightest shift in his glare told her that he did.

So quickly that not even the fighting trained F3 could react, Tsukasa had gotten up and grabbed the collar of Soujirou's shirt. "Just what kind of girl do you think Makino is?" he asked forcefully with a shake. Soujirou smiled, ticking off Tsukasa even more. "Huh? Tell me!"

"Just like Akira said."

Tsukasa's grip slackened as he remembered what Akira had said, 'Tsukasa's young virgin.' He liked the sound of that. He shook his head. He couldn't let thoughts like that derail him, he was still mad at Soujirou after all. Tightening his grip slightly Tsukasa looked coolly at one of his best friends. "Why did you imply the canary then?"

Soujirou stiffen as he valiantly controlled the laugh that wanted to escape. With a calm and controlled voice he answered, "Because she was denying it."

"Of course I'm denying it!" contested Tsukushi, her blush once again at full force. She was certain that if it kept up this way she'd pass out due to the havoc all this blushing must be doing to her blood pressure.

Akira looked shrewdly at her. "Why?"

"Why?!"

"Well yes. You are dating Tsukasa and you are a virgin so..."

"That doesn't mean I'm his!" protested Tsukushi with a squeaky voice.

"Actually it does," commented Rui with a yawn.

Tsukushi looked like a deer caught in headlights. She had been sure that Hanazawa Rui would agree with her. He, in her opinion, was the least perverted of the Flowery bunch. Sure, he had no problem kissing girls, but there was nothing wrong with that. At least he didn't think that every woman wanted to sleep with him. Hadn't they just recently fell innocently asleep holding hands at Shigeru's summer home? Didn't that prove he wasn't perverted like the other three? Doumyouji couldn't keep his mind out of the gutter whenever they were alone.

"No one is more likely than Tsukasa at the moment, right?" he continued without pause.

Tsukushi nodded mutely.

"Then until you're not romantically involved with Tsukasa anymore or you're no longer a virgin, you would be Tsukasa's virgin, wouldn't you?"

He smiled that knowing half smile of his that always used to turn her insides to jelly. She couldn't refute it. Somehow he had twisted both reason and logic in a way that she couldn't untangle. "I suppose."

Akira sighed. When it came to Makino, Rui had the tendency to make things worse rather than better. "Fashion show time!" he announced, wanting to change the subject before either Makino or Tsukasa could think of anything to twist Rui's words.

"Fashion show?"

Akira looped an arm over Tsukasa's shoulder and took him aside. "Your little virgin can't see why you can't borrow our Eitoku uniforms." Tsukasa's eyes lit up, causing Akira to smile. "Exactly"

Less than five minutes later Tsukushi found herself sitting alone on one of the many over stuffed couches. Soujirou, Akira, and Rui were off to one side leaving Tsukasa standing straight in front of her--without his shirt on.

"Exactly what is this supposed to show me?" she asked, barely stopping herself from blushing.

"This," answered Soujirou as he handed Tsukasa his uniform dress shirt.

In morbid fascination Tsukushi watched Tsukasa put the shirt on and button, or rather attempt to button it. The fabric was obviously pulling at the back. So much so that Tsukasa couldn't lower his arms. With Akira's help he put on the maroon suit jacket. His arms hung out like a scarecrow's, Soujirou's shoulders being an inch smaller than Tsukasa's.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You could have just said..." Tsukushi was struck speechless as Tsukasa began to unbutton Soujirou's shirt. It didn't matter that the shirt didn't fit right. It didn't matter one little bit, and there was nowhere for her to hide. Instantly she slapped her hands across her eyes, but now that she had admitted to herself that she loved Doumyouji, she couldn't win against the voice urging her to watch, and made a small crack between her fingers.

Tsukasa grinned and pretended not to notice.

He had tried Rui's shirt next, whose sleeves were so long that the cuffs extended beyond Tsukasa's fingers. Tsukushi had laughed when he had finished putting it on. He had looked like a little boy playing dress up with his father's shirts, until he began to take it off that is. Tsukushi's mind distractedly wondered why it seemed to take so long for Tsukasa to take off shirts he had no trouble putting on.

Last in the strange fashion strip and tease was Akira's uniform, which fit if you didn't consider breathing a necessary habit. When Soujirou had suggested that they move onto the pants, Tsukushi adamantly refused, claiming that she could 'see' the problem clearly without a demonstration. Of course that left nothing but Doumyouji's original inane solution: sneak into the Doumyouji mansion and steal his uniforms, which was why Tsukushi found herself lying on her stomach on the cold hard ground under a rather prickly bush next to Doumyouji.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it will," he yelled back in a whisper. "Now shut up or we're going to get caught."

"How..." Tsukasa slapped his hand over Tsukushi's mouth. She saw and heard nothing until Tsukasa pointed to the far right. Standing less than a hundred yards away by a leafless hydrangea bush was a dark figure. The figure came closer and closer to their location.

She knew the chances of her seeing Doumyouji ever again were slim to none if they were to get caught, and as the dark figure who she could now clearly see was an SP hired by the Doumyouji family drew closer her hope that they would somehow remain undetected became smaller and smaller. The seconds stretched into minutes and the minutes seemed to stretch into hours as Tsukushi held her breath.

The guard's feet stopped a foot from both of their faces. Stretching he yawned before turning toward the path behind him and performed a quick recheck of the area before he continued down his path and out of sight.

Tsukushi sighed in relief and whispered in amazement, "How did you know?"

Tsukasa lifted himself off the ground and pressed a finger to her lips. Wordlessly Tsukushi nodded, realizing that he didn't want her to speak. Quietly they made their way to a basement window. Tsukushi looked at Tsukasa in confusion. How were they supposed to open a window locked from the inside?

With a knowing cocky grin, Tsukasa knelt down and pulled out one of the bricks. Behind it was a latch. A latch that when was pulled released the window's lock. They were in.

Tsukushi looked at Tsukasa in astonishment as he calmly brushed himself off. "How did you... why was..."

"Onee-chan"

"Tsubaki-onee-san?"

He nodded. "It was how she used to enter and exit the house without the old hag knowing."

"Tama? Doumyouji, senpai really isn't that bad. Stop calling her an..."

He turned to her in confusion. "Huh? Tama? I meant 'The Old Hag', Doumyouji Kaede."

Tsukushi laughed. "The Old Hag?"

"It fits her."

"I suppose it does," agreed Tsukushi with a nod.

Suddenly the light turned on and Tsukushi immediately recognized where they were--the laundry room. "Who's down here?" called a voice. Terrified Tsukushi and Tsukasa ducked behind a pile of dirty maid uniforms. A walking stick slammed onto the floor. "I demand to know who's here," the voice shouted.

Tsukasa stood up. "Tama?"

"Young Master?" Tama looked at Tsukasa in shock. "Young Master! I thought it was you, but what are you doing here? Kaede told everyone in the house that they were to immediately report to her in New York if they saw you."

"Se, senpai?" Tsukushi spoke softly, standing up as well, "How, how did you know..."

"That you were here?" Tama finished for her. Tsukushi nodded and the old woman smiled. "I knew every time the Young Mistress escaped. That brick makes a very distinctive sound." Tama shut off the light. "Now follow me, it isn't safe for us to stay here."

* * *

Safe from prying eyes in her traditional Japanese rooms, Tama sipped her tea calmly as she listened to the Young Master's story. She nodded every once in a while, but besides that the elderly head servant of the Doumyouji family remained quiet.

"...and that's why we're here," Tsukasa finished.

Tama leaned foreword and scrutinized the Young Master that sat before her crossed legged. Her eyes narrowed. "You haven't played in the grass, have you?"

Tsukasa looked confused while Tsukushi blushed, knowing far too well how sordid the woman's mind truly was.

Tama leaned in closer to Tsukasa. She knew that Tsukushi's blush had nothing to do with whether or not they had attempted anything. "Have you tasted the flower?"

He stared at Tama in disbelief before vehemently crying out, "No! Don't say things like that!"

"Good," she said, leaning back. Tama smiled. "Then perhaps I was wrong when I said that only your frame has grown."

"Tama..." Tsukasa was shocked. He never recalled the old woman ever taking back her words.

"I expect then that you'll act like a gentleman and do nothing the mother of your future children doesn't want you to do while you're living alone with her." She leaned dangerously close to Tsukasa again. "You may not be the Young Master anymore, but remember, you will always be the Young Master that I took care of." Her eyes looked threatening. "Don't disappoint me young man."

"Yes ma'am!" he said quickly, straightening his back.

"What about the uniforms," Tsukushi insisted. She wanted the entire conversation of flower tasting and mother of future Doumyouji Tsukasa's done and over. Doumyouji didn't need any more help; Soujirou and Akira were more than enough.

Tama sighed. "Kaede had your room inventoried and locked Young Master. There's no way to get anything out of your rooms now without her knowing."

Tsukasa slammed his fist into the floor. The old bag had been one step ahead.

"Of course, she doesn't know about anything taken out of your room before she locked it," Tama stated easily with a sly grin.

"What do you mean?"

"I took the liberty of taking a few things I thought you'd need after overhearing your announcement to your mother. It's not much, but you might need it," she said, pointing to a box inside her closest. Inside were three Eitoku uniforms, a pair of pajamas, a bathrobe, a traditional business suit, and a pair of good dress shoes.

"I, I don't..." Tsukasa smiled. "Thank you"

* * *

Later that night Tsukushi lied awake on her futon. Tsukasa was blissfully unaware of her inability to sleep; having passed out the moment his head had touched his pillow. At the moment the nights weren't a problem, but she knew it was only a matter of weeks or perhaps even days before Doumyouji got used to the life style of a commoner and wouldn't be half asleep hours before she called bedtime. And when that happened she wasn't sure how she was going to deal with the awkward situations--not to mention the amorous advances from Doumyouji--which she knew were bound to happen.

Tsukushi rolled over and looked at his prone form and smiled. He was really trying his hardest to live as a commoner. He was trying and she could already see the changes taking place after only two days. Tsukushi giggled as she remembered Doumyouji's 'Yes ma'am'. She had never seen him toe the line before. Taking one last glance at the angelic looking boy sleeping eight feet away from her, Tsukushi finally closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews. They really mean alot to me. Knowing that you like the story and find the characterization spot on really helps me continue writing (especially when I get into difficult but important sections of the story).

I'm sorry for the slow update. Not only did I hit a tough section in which I got slight writer's block, but I also had to go to my college graduation, and then Memorial Day rolled around. (I ended up doing a 19 hour all nighter in order to applique and embroider the mascot dragon for a Middle School Band banner.)

Well, hope you liked the chapter. The next one should be posted next week like I had been posting in the past. I'll keep my fingers typing.


	5. Troublesome Times

**Working Class  
****By: LokiGirl**

**A/N: **OL is Japanese slang for Office Lady. I didn't want to use office lady in English because it sounds weird. I know I could have used secretary, but OL's don't necessarily perform the same duties of a secretary. And what secretary brings tea to all the male workers several times a day?

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: Troublesome Times**

Tsukushi was busily finishing homework due right after lunch as she waited for her boyfriend. Doumyouji had promised that he would eat in the cafeteria with her today, and she had to admit that she was looking forward to having a normal school lunch with him. Soujirou, Akira, and Rui were more than likely going to sit with them as well, and while sitting with the wealthiest and most powerful bachelors in Japan definitely couldn't be considered a 'normal' high school lunch, somewhere between hating and falling in love with Doumyouji Tsukasa it had become a normal Eitoku lunch for Makino Tsukushi--the weed. Closing her notebook forcefully, Tsukushi stretched, trying to relax her muscles. Doing homework last minute always made her tense.

"Yo Makino"

"Mimasaka, Nishikado... Hanazawa Rui," she greeted, ignoring the death stares directed at her by nearly half of the female population present.

Soujirou looked around, not caring about the other girls in the room either. "Where's Tsukasa?"

"What do you mean?" asked Tsukushi confused. "You mean he's not with you?"

"No he..." Soujirou's voice echoed and slowly died away in the suddenly absolutely quiet lunch room. The F3 and Tsukushi turned to look in the direction everyone else in the room already was.

The school was staring at a young man wearing the Eitoku maroon blazer, black pants and silver tie in a neat and orderly manner like any upright male student at Eitoku was expected to. Neat, orderly, or upright not being words used to normally describe this young man, the school body had as such not seen said young man in their school uniform since the start of junior high. A few had claimed to have seen him wearing most of the uniform in a disorderly fashionable manner at the very beginning of his third year, before the summer break, but those sightings couldn't be confirmed. Others insisted that the 'Doumyouji sighting' as it had been dubbed was really a potential transfer student from Eirin since most of the sightings were of a boy with straight hair. After all, Doumyouji Tsukasa might be many things, but a conformist wasn't one of them. So naturally they were shocked at Doumyouji's new conformist attire.

Tsukushi too was shocked at what, or rather how he was wearing his uniform. When they had parted that morning his blazer had been unbuttoned and his tie had been rebelliously loose around the neck. What worried her most though was the lifeless look in Doumyouji's eyes. Not caring who was watching, Tsukushi got up and ran to him. "Doumyouji"

He turned to her voice, but didn't seem to notice her presence as he stared out into space.

Gently she touched his arm. "Doumyouji"

Her touch jolted him from his internal struggle. "Makino, I, I..."

Akira and Soujirou who had been right behind Makino took Tsukasa by the shoulders and led him to the table they were all sitting at. Fortunately for all of them it was a rather secluded table at the far end of the lunch room. They could always count on Makino to somehow find a table away from the crowd.

"What happened with the head teacher?" asked Rui as Tsukasa sat down.

Tsukasa lowered his head. "Nothing, he just took me to see the principal."

"Alright, then what happened in the principal's office?"

Tsukasa lifted his head and took a deep breath. "He told me that my mother called."

"And what did she have to say?" asked Tsukushi nervously, it wasn't like Doumyouji to be so disempowered.

"That she was calling to complain about the lack of discipline at Eitoku, and that they had given her son far too much leniency towards wearing his school uniform, class attendance and behavior. She gave them the authority to do quote 'whatever they deem necessary', end quote."

"So?" asked Soujirou in confusion. "What can the teachers do against you?"

"Expulsion"

"They wouldn't!" insisted Soujirou.

"I've already been threatened twice," he replied in a defeated tone.

Akira whistled, impressed by Kaede's boldness. "Expulsion? I'm surprised your mother would let it get that far."

Tsukasa laughed sardonically. "She would," he said, taking a folded piece of paper out of his blazer pocket. Flippantly he threw it at Akira. "Read it. It was sealed when the principal gave it to me."

Cautiously Akira picked up the paper and unfolded it before he read it silently to himself. It wasn't much, in fact it was only a single sentence, but that sentence was more than enough._ Remember Doumyouji-san, you lose if you don't __**attend**__ Eitoku._

"Well, that's easy to deal with," commented Soujirou. "Don't get expelled."

Tsukushi laughed. "Easier said than done! Doumyouji-san just gave the teachers, who by the way hate Doumyouji's guts, free regain to do 'whatever they feel necessary'. I'm surprised Doumyouji hasn't been expelled yet."

* * *

The next few days didn't go well for Tsukasa. The teachers, heady with their new power over Tsukasa, applied the rules with an iron fist. The only thing that saved him from expulsion was the fact that he felt like crap and didn't have the energy to fight with them. His stomach and the rest of his digestive tract, which was used to only the freshest and highest quality, rebelled against the sudden shift to a diet of low grade food. If his stomach wasn't cramping as if it wanted to eat him alive, he had the runs, and if he didn't have the runs, he sincerely wished he did. By the end of the week Tsukushi had been forcing him to eat packaged crackers since he had completely lost his appetite. Fortunately the student body was too afraid of Doumyouji and his money to do or say anything against him. 

Tsukushi looked into the bathroom with sympathy as Tsukasa's stomach once again rejected the little bit he ate for dinner. "I'm sorry Doumyouji," she said contritely as she rubbed her hand on his back. "I didn't... it hurts to see you like this."

Tsukasa groaned, which Tsukushi hoped was one of understanding before he heaved into the toilet once again. The only saving grace that day was that it was a Saturday, and with nowhere to go, Tsukasa had stayed in his sleeping shorts all day, vainly trying to get some much needed sleep.

"I sorry," she said in apology again as she knelt down next to him. "I thought your stomach could take a normal dinner when you didn't feel sick after lunch." Soothingly she continued to rub his back. "Do you want some packed crackers or would you like me to make some rice porridge?"

Hesitantly he wiped his mouth before turning to look at Tsukushi.

She took his silence as disapproval. "I'm sorry," she said for the nth time since Tsukasa had gotten sick, "you wouldn't want to eat what I cook... that's why you're sick after all."

Sighing, Tsukasa lifted her head so she had to look him in the eye. "It's not your fault. It's my delicate stomach's fault," he explained reassuringly with a weak smile. He hated the way she was beating herself up over his--indigestion. As much as he ragged what commoner's ate and how they prepared it, he knew the food wasn't inedible or poison. "Besides it's not your fault I got sick." He smiled widely now. "You've been taking care of me all week."

"You were sick? When!"

"Since yesterday. I had a slight fever this morning."

"Doumyouji!" she yelled, quite fed up with her pig headed boyfriend. Angrily she stood up. "I told you to tell me whenever you felt bad. And that certainly includes having a fever!"

"If I had told you, you wouldn't have gone to the store. You've been putting it off all week," insisted Tsukasa, standing up as well. There was no way he was going to argue with her without her eyes staring up into his.

Tsukushi huffed angrily. "Alright, so maybe I wouldn't have gone to the store, but what if you had gotten sicker while I was gone, huh?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I didn't. I feel a lot better now."

Tsukushi raised her eyebrow at Tsukasa, not believing him. "Really," she said with a droll, "then what was that just now?"

Tsukasa scowled. He didn't like the way Tsukushi was looking at him, as if she didn't trust him. "I guess my stomach wasn't ready for all that solid food. I've been living of crackers for the last two days you know."

"I suppose that could be it," she said, still sounding a bit skeptical. She placed her hand on his forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever."

"I told you I felt better," he growled at the same time his stomach decided to.

Tsukushi laughed. "You are feeling better."

"That's what I said Makino!"

She couldn't keep her hilarity down. "You're... you're fighting with me again, and your stomach is being demanding," she giggled out as his stomach growled again. Softly she poked it. "Tell it to behave Doumyouji and I'll make some rice porridge for you."

Tsukasa smiled. "Make it with chicken flavor."

Fifteen minutes later Tsukasa was comfortably sitting at the table Tsukushi had found in a garbage pile. The heater wasn't working quite right, which was probably why it had been thrown out in the first place, but it was better than nothing. The blanket, along with his bathrobe that Tama had purloined from is belongings at the mansion, kept him nice and warm.

Idly he looked around the room. The walls still needed to be painted and the mold was still there. The floor was carpeted in a dull brown that probably should have been replaced a year or two ago and the furnished appliances were definitely showing their age. Nothing of course could change the fact that the whole place was smaller than the bathrooms he was used to, and at times the lack of space irked him to no end, but, as he watched the tails of Tsukushi's apron while she cooked, he was starting to see how a place as small as this could be considered home.

Tsukasa had quickly come to realize that he loved watching Tsukushi cook even though food, or rather his stomach's inability to digest the food she prepared, had been the cause of his most current problems. She always insisted upon wearing a pale yellow apron, which he assumed was quite durable since she never bought anything that wasn't, but it was rather girly compared to the image of her he had in his head. Naturally he found it adorable. But it wasn't just that. He loved the way her eyes lit up while she was cooking. Everything was stirred, flipped, or molded with what he could only describe as love. He could watch her cooking for hours without becoming bored.

The doorbell rang, and Tsukushi rushed to the door. "Yes, who is it?"

"One of the neighbors," replied an older woman's voice.

"Oh, wait a moment." Tsukushi opened the door, but placed herself in such a manner that no one could see into the apartment. "Hello, I'm..."

"Yes, yes, my husband told me all about you," the woman said, interrupting Tsukushi. "You're Makino Tsukushi-san, the young high school girl that recently rented the apartment. I would have said hello to you earlier, but I was visited my grandchildren in the country. It was the only place my idiot son-in-law could get a job--planting rice." The woman sighed. "My poor Amiko, married to that louse."

"I see..." Tsukushi didn't know what to say.

"But that's what you get when you have a baby in high school with a boy in the lower half of the class," the woman said with an exasperated sigh. "I hope you're not thinking about having any babies yet Makino-san."

"Eh..." Tama's 'advice' once again invaded Tsukushi's brain. 'Start up a carnal relationship and make a baby...' echoed the old maid's voice. 'You do know how to make a baby, don't you?' Tsukushi tried to shake away the images Tama's words were conjuring in her head. Thank goodness Doumyouji couldn't read her mind!

The landlord's wife looked at Tsukushi in worry. "Makino-san?"

"Eh? Ah... no, no, no, no, no..." Tsukushi waved emphatically with her hands. "I'm not thinking about having a baby."

"Ah good, wouldn't want a girl like that to be renting an apartment here. Years past a boy would at least take responsibility, but not anymore. In that way Yoshi's a good boy." The woman nodded to herself. "I suggest you stay away from Kobayashi-san in 3-B, she'll be nothing but a bad influence if you know what I mean."

"Not really... Naka..."

"Nakamura"

"Nakamura-san."

"Kobayashi's an OL at Doumyouji corp.'s Tokyo branch, and well, let's just say that she's been around the office.

"Oh..."

Nakamura suddenly started to strangely sniff the air. "Is something burning?"

"Ah! The rice porridge." Speedily she ran off to take it off the stove.

Without Tsukushi in the way, the landlord's wife opened the door to the apartment wider. "I always like looking at what the tenants do with the place," she said stepping inside, "but I see you haven't done much at all. I would have expected a couple of womanly touches by now."

"What are you doing?" demanded an irate Tsukasa. "No one gave you permission to enter."

"Oh," Nakamura said in surprise, taken aback. "I didn't realize you were living with a man Makino-san."

Tsukushi stood speechless at the stove. She didn't know what to say. The landlord's wife, Nakamura-san, was obviously a nosy gossip and would most likely turn anything she said to alleviate the problem against her.

Tsukasa stood up and strode to the invading woman. "Don't speak to Tsukushi like that," he ordered, "it's rude."

Tsukushi stared at Doumyouji in shock. He had never referred to her as Tsukushi before.

Nakamura looked at Tsukasa both flustered and angry. She didn't like the young hooligan's tone. "And who are you to be talking to me like that young man? You should respect your elders."

"Makino, Makino Tsukasa."

"You don't look like her brother," the woman replied looking critically at Tsukasa.

"I never said I was her brother."

"Then who..."

Tsukasa stepped a little bit closer to Nakamura, forcing her to back up out of the apartment. "I'm Makino Tsukasa--her husband. And we don't plan on having any babies, yet. Now, if you would excuse me," he drawled, "I haven't been feeling well all day." With that he slammed the door in the annoying nosy woman's face and locked it.

"Husband?" seethed Tsukushi as soon as Tsukasa closed the door. "Husband? Since when have you been Makino Tsukasa, my husband?!" Tsukushi was trembling in righteous anger.

"You wanted Naka... Naka... Naka-whoever to know you're living with your boyfriend?" he countered. "Or perhaps you would've been fine with whatever crazy story she made up? Hmm?" he asked tilting his head. "I wonder what she'd think if Akira or Soujirou came to see us. 'Be careful of Makino-san, she gets around her whole school, if you know what I mean.'"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry Doumyouji."

"Tsukasa"

"Huh?" Tsukushi looked completely confused.

"My name is Tsukasa."

She shook her head, still completely confused. "I know that Doumyouji."

Tsukasa sighed. How could someone who claimed to be so much smarter than him not grasp this single concept? "Naka-what's-her-face thinks you're my wife Tsukushi. And wives don't go calling their husbands by a different family name."

"Then I'll call you Makino."

He looked at her with hurt filled eyes. "I'm only Makino to you?"

"Doumyou... Maki...Tsu..." Tsukushi blushed. Tsukasa? She wasn't ready to call him Tsukasa yet. They were barely dating!

"Tsukushi?"

She didn't think they were ready for that sort of a relationship. She didn't think she was ready! But she didn't want to destroy Doumyouji's smiling hopeful look "You're still Doumyouji at school, but I suppose around the apartment I can call you Tsu-ka-sa," she spoke slowly, stuttering over his name.

"Say it again," he commanded, making short work of the space between them.

"Tsu... Tsukasa"

"Say it again," he asked softly as his fingers gently brushed over her face.

She swallowed nervously as his lips came dangerously close to hers.

"Say it again Tsukushi."

With the smallest of nods and one last final gulp, Tsukushi looked directly into Tsukasa's eyes and whispered his name. "Tsukasa"

He kissed her with a warm passion, showing her exactly how much her effort meant to him. He knew that no matter what she might call him in the apartment, he was still only Doumyouji in her mind, but at that moment just hearing his name spoken by her at all was paradise.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi everybody. Sorry for the long delay between updates. I hurt my back several weeks ago and for the longest time it hurt to do anything. Fortunately it isn't painful to sit anymore, but it is unconfortable for long periods of time. I don't know when I'll be able to update next (ie. writing a new chatper, this chapter being a back log chapter) I promise though that I haven't forgotten it. I intend to finish. 

Thanks for all the reviews. It really encouraged me to post this chapter and try to work on the next chapter (which I'm going to do as soon as this is posted).


	6. Kissing and Money Troubles

**Working Class  
By: LokiGirl**

**Chapter 6: Kissing and Money Troubles**

Whether he liked it or not, Tsukasa's school life had become one of rules and regulations. He was lectured every morning that his tardiness would no longer be overlooked and that any new infraction would result in a detention. No one bothered to note that he hadn't been late once since the new rules had been enforced. Along with the lectures came the uniform inspection every period. He was expected to be wearing it neat and tidy, although it was his option to wear the blazer or hang it on the back of his chair. The tie was not an option, much to Tsukasa's annoyance. The one thing the teachers didn't remind him about was the 'no fighting' policy, secretly hoping that his legendary temper would flare and they could punish him severely in revenge for all the bloody incidents, apologies and cover-ups they had made over the years.

Of course Eitoku beginning a school for the wealthy elite there were special rules beyond those of an ordinary school and the teachers each had their own favorite. Suzuki sensei was determined he would have correct posture during math class. Itou and Honda sensei required that he answered them in full proper polite sentences. But of all the new requirements placed on Tsukasa, the one that irked him the most was Haruka sensei's 'special' rule, which wasn't even a rule at all.

When he had found out a week and a half ago with Tsukushi as they were dissecting every rule in Eitoku's Student Code of Conduct he had every intention of calling Haruka sensei on it. She had let him complain and stomp angrily around for ten minutes, knowing that he needed to blow some steam before calming reminding him that such an action could be considered insubordination. And Tsukasa couldn't risk being insubordinate. So no matter how much it set his teeth on edge Tsukasa pulled out and pushed in every girl's seat in the class.

The students, after being initially shocked thought nothing of the new discipline regiment set upon Tsukasa. They each had their own theory, some more outlandish than others, but none came close to the mark. Most thought it was either some sort of punishment for continuing to date the commoner Makino Tsukushi or that it was a tightening down on the behavior of the Doumyouji heir as he was sure to become a more public figure in the company after his college graduation, if not his high school one.

None of the school's speculation made a difference to Tsukasa. He didn't care what silly ideas popped up in the minds of the air headed females around him as long it didn't physically involve him. But with his new subdued attitude some had become quite bold in their attempt to gain his affections.

Angrily Tsukasa slammed the door to the Makino apartment.

"What's wrong Tsukasa?" asked Tsukushi as she picked up their mail. The biweekly letter from her family had arrived, and for once she didn't care if it only contained a note of love and seaweed.

He kicked the table.

Tsukushi put down the mail and looked directly at her 'husband'. "Tsukasa, stop trying to damage the apartment and tell me what's wrong."

"Ugly bitch kissed me."

She blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "Someone... kissed you?"

"While I was being oh so gentlemanly pushing her chair in, ugly goes and presses her greasy, disgusting flavored lips against mine." Angrily he kicked the air. "I wanted to kill her."

"Now you know how I felt."

Tsukasa whipped around to stare at Tsukushi in disbelief, still fuming. "What do you mean?" He didn't remember anything like this happening to her.

Tsukushi placed her hands on her hips. "You stole my first kiss."

"You ran into me!" he argued back, forgetting about the other girl. "The lights go out and the next thing I know my mouth is being sucked off by something."

"It was my first kiss! I wanted it to be special, and soft," she said with a dreamy lilt. "It was supposed to be with the guy I loved."

"And what..."

Tsukushi cut him off, heat once again in her words. "Instead some stupid arrogant octopus head stole it from me!"

"Octopus head!" He indignantly strode towards her. "And what about me, huh?" he asked in a demanding voice. "The lights come on and I find out I had been slobbered my some poor girl who wasn't even grateful she had gotten my first..." he blushed red and turned away from Tsukushi. "That she had gotten a kiss from me," he stuttered out awkwardly.

"Your first?" Curious, she sidestepped Tsukasa to see his blushing face. "Was it your first kiss too?"

Flustered he searched the room as if he was looking for an escape route. "You haven't opened your letter yet."

Tsukushi smiled. "That's okay. I can open it latter." She tip toed up next to him. "Was that really your first kiss too?"

"Of course not," he replied gruffly.

"Really?" Tsukushi wasn't convinced. There had to be a reason he was blushing so much. "Then when did you have your first kiss?"

He backed up in an attempt to get away from her. "I don't have to tell you."

"Okay"

"Huh?" Tsukasa's jaw dropped. He didn't believe his ears. Tsukushi didn't back down from a question that easily.

"I'm sure Nishikado and Mimasaka will be more than happy to tell the story about the day your lips lost their virginity."

"I never told them, and they weren't there," he protested crossing his arms. "Akira and Soujirou don't know everything about my life."

Tsukushi raised her eyebrow, now even more convinced Tsukasa was bluffing. Tsukasa didn't keep things like that quiet; he announced it to the world. "They don't know, or it didn't happen?"

"It happened," he insisted.

She stepped mere inches from Tsukasa and tilted her head up so she could look directly into his eyes. Eyes that at least to her couldn't lie. "Prove it."

In response he bent down and kissed her. A sound that might have been an attempt to protest was muffled by his lips.

Tsukushi didn't know what to do; or rather her mind didn't know what to do. He always seemed to kiss her randomly and without warning. Her brain just didn't have the time to process what was about to happen before it was already happening. Her body on the other hand had no problem following the lead of Doumyouji's lips. They were soft and warm and utterly kissable.

His kisses never failed to invoke a fluttering feeling from deep within the pit of her stomach. It had always been there, right from their very first kiss. But it had been small then, and easily tossed aside as revulsion or nervousness. The fluttering now however wasn't small or dismissible. It was encompassing her entire being and it felt wonderful. Her fingers tingled with the sensation, and it dared her, compelled her, to touch his hair.

Giddily he brought his hands to her shoulders before gliding them up her neck and into her hair in response.

Tsukushi gasped as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He tasted of the seaweed and plum onigiri she had made for their lunches, and she was helpless and unwilling to stop his advances.

It scared her. He was getting too good at catching her off guard and kissing her. She was letting herself get into situations were he could kiss her far too often. He was getting far too good at the whole kissing business. And she was enjoying it far too much!

He pulled back from the kiss feeling quite pleased with himself. Tsukasa had known she had enjoyed the kiss, but as he looked at her flushed face and heaving breaths, he couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his face. "So," he began huskily, "did I prove it well enough for you?"

"No..." she said shaking her head.

"No?" His question was soft and gentle. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, confused. Doumyouji was acting odd. "I'm sure."

"Then what did it prove?" he asked, whispering into her ear.

Tsukushi shivered. "It didn't prove anything."

"Nothing?" He kissed her jaw line. "It must have proved something."

She trembled again, her thoughts jumbled. What had happened to Doumyouji? Before her was a guy wooing her as if he belonged in the romance mangas Yuki forced her to read. And it didn't make any sense. Doumyouji was not romance manga material, not like Mimasaka, or Nishikado, or Hanazawa Rui. Doumyouji was far from it. He was gruff, and forceful, and commanding, and conceited, and... Her thoughts derailed as he kissed her again.

His lips lingered before he pulled back. "Did that help?"

"No"

Tsukasa looked at her skeptically, but playfully. "Are you sure?"

Tsukushi bit her lip. Would it really hurt that much to play along with his game? It wasn't like he was asking her to marry him or something inane like that, and he seemed so happy.

His smile widened, instinctively knowing he had won. "It did prove something."

"I guess it did prove one thing."

"Well then?" he asked, his eyes sparkling, "what did it prove?"

"That..." She bit her lip again. "That you should eat plum onigiri more often."

Tsukasa's hold on Tsukushi loosened. His kisses proved that he should eat plum onigiri more often? It didn't make any sense, and it certainly wasn't what he was expecting or hoping for her to say.

Tsukushi slipped out of his arms as he thought about her comment and made a dash to the letter from her family. She needed to be busy before he figured out what her cryptic words had meant. Kneeling down at the table she opened the letter and began to read.

"Tsukushi, what did you mean by..." he paused as he saw the look on his girlfriend's face. It was one that he knew well, having had it directed at him on more than one occasion. Tsukushi was angry and highly disappointed.

"I can't believe them!" she cried as her fingers tore into the paper. Crumbling up the letter she threw it angrily at the wall. "Have they no pride? No shame?!"

"Tsukushi?" Tsukasa watched her nervously. He had never seen her so angry at her family before.

Furiously she growled. "Sometimes I wish I could disown my family as easily as you got rid of yours Doumyouji," she answered in a deceptively level voice. Her gaze, although pointing towards Tsukasa seemed to look through rather than at him.

"You wouldn't do that Tsukushi. You love your family."

Tsukushi sniggered. "Don't tempt me Doumyouji Tsukasa. Don't tempt me. There's only so much even I can take. Putting on airs and forcing me to attend Eitoku when everyone knows we can't afford it, gambling what little money we have away in some cockamamie scheme to pay the bills and ending up in trouble with the yakuza, living off my wages from my part time job, moving from smaller apartment to smaller apartment, being told to live off of seaweed and make due. I can't do it." She looked ready to cry.

He knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. Gently he placed her head on his chest. "It's alright Tsukushi, it's alright."

Her hands clenched on his uniform blazer. Holding back tears she buried her face into his shirt and tie. "I'd disown them, except I have nothing to disown myself from besides debt!"

Tsukasa kissed the crown of her head and held her tighter. "It's alright. Let it all out Tsukushi. I'm right here."

Nodding, she began to cry.

Tsukasa pulled her closer for a third time. It hurt to see her cry. She was the strongest girl he knew--stronger than many of the boys he knew. It hurt to see her proud and strong spirit so broken. Yet at the same time it felt good to soothe her battered will. The knowledge that she instinctually needed the comfort of his arms sent his soul soaring.

That night after he was certain Tsukushi had fallen asleep, Tsukasa snuck out of his futon and picked up the crumpled letter from the floor. Sitting down in front of the single window to their apartment, he began to read.

_Tsukushi-chan,_

_I hope that you are doing well, especially with that young handsome Doumyouji-san. Without us there we're all worried that you won't properly catch that nice young man. Papa still gets horribly seasick whenever he goes out, and as such has yet to catch a single fish. The fishermen have given up teaching him how to fish and instead he's being taught to repair the boats while Susumu and I dry seaweed. But papa still isn't skilled with the tools and he hasn't been allowed to touch a real boat yet. In other words, he still hasn't earned a single cent and my friends are demanding back the two hundred and fifty thousand yen papa borrowed and hasn't paid back yet. It's getting ugly here, and they're threatening to kick us out, but they haven't after they heard that you're dating Doumyouji-san. Ask that rich boyfriend of yours for the money would you? We're counting on you Tsukushi-chan. _

_Love,_

_Mama_

Tsukasa crumpled the letter in a vise like grip. He knew Tsukushi's parents, especially her mother, were gold diggers. He had known that the first time he had ever walked into their home. There was no other way to explain there behavior. With one look of their drunken daughter they had been ready to kill him, until they saw his Armani suit that is. When they heard his family name, yen signs had rolled into their eyes as if they had just hit the jackpot.

Of course that hadn't bothered him, and truthfully he couldn't complain. It wasn't as if he didn't shamelessly use their gold digging desires to get close to Tsukushi when she had wanted nothing to do with him, for he certainly had.

Angrily Tsukasa forced the letter into a tight ball. He was sure their money grubbing ways were what had infuriated Tsukushi, but that wasn't what was sending his blood boiling. As odd as it might seem, Tsukasa had become rather--fond of the Makino family. Susumu seemed nice enough, and he was somewhat excited about the idea of having younger brother. Tsukushi's mother was the most blatantly obvious gold digger he'd ever met, but he could somehow sense that her desire for money wasn't solely for the sake of having money. She wanted Tsukushi well provided for and taken care of. She wanted her daughter to not have to worry about the money issues she faced while raising her family. Wasn't that what he wanted for Tsukushi too? And sure, Makino's father was a loser, but he tried his best, as little as his best was. Tsukasa couldn't fault him for that.

But it was his fault he couldn't help them. He wanted to, and he couldn't. What used to be pocket money was now held tightly by Tsukushi as food, clothes, and rent money for the next couple of months. Tsukasa sighed and stared at the drawer where the money was hidden. They still had more than enough to pay off the loan her father had incurred at the fishing village, but he knew Tsukushi wouldn't stand for it. She would adamantly insist that it was his money and therefore couldn't be used to help her family.

Suddenly he ran to the money and began to count the bills. It was his money, and that meant he could use it any way he wanted, which included sending it off to her family to pay off their debt without her knowing until it too late for her to do anything more than yell at him. Smiling, he sealed the envelope Tsukushi's mother had so conveniently sent, preaddressed

* * *

**A/N:** I know that in the manga the kiss on the boat at Atami wasn't Tsukasa's first kiss, but I loved the way the jdrama had Tsukushi be his first kiss and I decided to leave the mangaverse for just that little bit. If you say that Tsukasa kissed Shizuka on the cheek inside of the lips in the manga there'd be no way of knowing if the first Tsukasa/Tsukushi kiss was his first kiss or not. Besides it definitely was his first kiss with a girl he liked.

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. My back has been better for awhile but I haven't felt like writing recently. But the writing craze is back with me so you can probably expect at least a few more chapters soon.

I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed the story and/or have it on alert, or fav. Every email from ffnet kept reminding me that I had a story to get typing. Thanks!


	7. The Chips Hit the Fan

**Working Class  
By: LokiGirl**

**Chapter 7: The Chips Hit the Fan**

It was the first of the month, and time for the rent to be paid. Resolutely Tsukushi made towards the drawer where they kept Doumyouji's allowance money--currently their only major source of income. She hadn't as of yet pressed Doumyouji into getting a job, seeing how difficult the transition was for him. But there wasn't much more time left in his grace period. He'd have to get a job, or at least start looking for one soon. Sighing she picked up the envelope. It already looked depressingly thin.

She pulled out the bills she needed and looked at the money left inside in puzzlement. Setting the rent money aside she frantically counted what was left. It wasn't much. In fact it was barely enough for the month's groceries. Slamming the envelope down Tsukushi picked up the rent money and stormed out of the Makino apartment. First she had to pay the rent, but that wouldn't long delay the fate of her soon to be dead 'husband' who was currently serving detention.

* * *

The time ticked slowly by as Tsukasa vainly tried to keep his gaze away from the clock on the wall. Every time he looked it only seemed to make time move slower. It certainly didn't help that Suzuki-sensei had been glaring at him for almost the entire detention, especially since he was supposed to be writing an apology letter for using 'ore' instead of 'boku' or better yet 'watashi'. Suzuki-sensei had even mentioned something about 'watakushi', but there was no way Tsukasa was going to go there. It was bad enough that he was using polite language that had never passed his lips before, language that he only knew because it had been addressed to him. There was no way he was going to use words so humbling that his servants hadn't been made to use them on a daily basis.

The clock finally struck four o'clock and Suzuki-sensei took the letter of apology off his desk and left the room. Tsukasa sighed in relief and slouched back in his chair. Agitatedly he loosened his tie. He had survived once again and hadn't been expelled.

The classroom door slammed shut and he nervously re-straightened his tie. Cautiously he turned his head to see a livid Makino Tsukushi at the door. Her shoulders were heaving and her breathing heavy. Tsukasa sat up straight in his chair. "What's wrong Makino? I told you I had detention. You should be happy to see me," he said with false bravado even though he secretly wanted to cower before the attack of typhoon Tsukushi.

Tsukushi's eyes darkened before her face suddenly turned sweet--saccharin sweet. "Of course I'm happy to see you Doumyouji. Whatever gave you the idea that I wasn't?" Almost with a bounce she walked to Tsukasa's desk and sat down on it. Leaning towards him and running her finger down his jaw line, Tsukushi asked "Is there something you want to tell me Myouji-kun?"

Tsukasa gulped. He wasn't sure which Tsukushi he should be more afraid of--'Tsukushi the force of nature', or 'Tsukushi the Sugar Crumb Fairy'--either seemed to spell certain doom for the former wealthy heir. He gulped again, unsure of what to say.

From the classroom door that was now open a crack for perfect snooping purposes, Akira and Soujirou scoffed. It seemed that Makino had learned another technique to 'punish' Tsukasa and she was laying it on thick. Both knew that 'Myouji-kun' was in for it now.

Tsukushi continued on, unfazed by Doumyouji's lack of response. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the rent money, would it?"

"Re...rent money?"

"Mmm hmm, rent money." She stroked his cheek again. "Do you know where it's gotten to? I just can't seem to find all of it."

Tsukushi's fingers were soft and smooth, and the gentle caress they were performing would probably be quite enjoyable if her touch didn't seem to burn Tsukasa's skin with hidden rage. Sweating profusely he gulped a third time before trying to answer her. "I… I..."

Tsukushi smiled sweetly. "Yes?"

"I sent it to your parents."

"Oh," Tsukushi giggled, "you sent it to my parents, how fortunate for them." She smiled widely at him. "And so how does my generous providing man of the household intend to pay next month's rent?"

Tsukasa gulped again. "I ah... I don't know," he admitted lamely.

"You don't?" Her smile grew larger. "Well fortunately Myouji-kun, I know." The pretty grin that had been on Tsukushi's face suddenly turned into a scowl as she fisted Tsukasa's blazer and dragged him to his feet. "You get a job!" she screeched, "NOW!"

"Makino! Lower your voice," cried Tsukasa, worried that others might over hear Tsukushi telling the mighty Doumyouji Tsukasa that he needed to get a job.

"Fine," Tsukushi hissed, thrusting Doumyouji back into his seat, "You're still not getting out of this conversation."

"I never tried to…" Tsukushi threw him a venomous stare and for once Tsukasa had the wisdom to stay silent.

"Mimasaka! Nishikado! Get over her. I know you're listening."

"What about Rui?" whined Soujirou as he opened the door, "why doesn't he have to…" Tsukushi's venomous glare turned towards his direction and Soujirou quickly decided to follow Tsukasa's silent wisdom as well. It looked much better for his health.

Rui stepped between Soujirou and Akira with a yawn. "What is it Makino?"

"I wanted Doumyouji to do it the normal way--_without_ cheating," Tsukushi made sure to glare at Tsukasa so that she was positive that he knew that it was entirely his fault, "but now he needs one immediately. So," Tsukushi paused to point at the F3, "one of you is going to give Doumyouji a job."

The F3 stared at Makino in shock. It was one thing to hear her talk about having Tsukasa get a job, it was a whole other thing to actually admit it was going to happen. Rui was the first to pull out of it. "Sorry Makino, my company's going through a restructuring, so we're not hiring right now."

Tsukushi looked at Mimasaka next.

"I could," he admitted, "but my business… I'm not sure if…"

Soujirou sighed. "I suppose I can find Tsukasa a job. It'll be delivery though, and it won't pay well."

"It doesn't matter Nishikado," Tsukushi stated with a shake of her head. "As long as it pays and it's something that even blockhead can manage."

And so it happened that ex-heir Doumyouji Tsukasa became the youngest and newest member of Nishikado Tea and Specialties delivery truck eleven.

* * *

Tsukasa dropped the box of tea leaves down and wiped the sweat off his brow. Near the end of March the weather was still cool with the last dying echoes of winter, but the fifteen walks between the restaurant's storeroom and the delivery truck Tsukasa had made carrying thirty pound boxes of tea and other Nishikado products had significantly warmed him up. The work wasn't hard after the muscles in his arms, back, and legs had gotten used to it, and it required very little thought, which gave Tsukasa plenty of time to think--something he never seemed to have in his previous life of luxury.

At first he had dwelled on the strict and unfair treatment he was receiving from the teachers at school. But as the month had gone on and more and more of his class began to talk about what they were going to focus their study on in Eitoku University, he began to worry more and more about his future. His mother had still yet to announce if he was to be attending Eitoku University, let alone the subject matter he was to study, and he feared that perhaps she wouldn't. That she had grown bored of the game she was playing and had given up on him altogether, and that for once, his destiny was completely his own to chose. It was a strange and unsettling feeling for Tsukasa, who, since the age he could first vaguely understand the concept of inheritance had known that his life had been preplanned for him.

And now, something that had been a requirement in his 'preplanned life' and something he now wanted almost more than anything rested on the benevolence of his mother. He had no delusions about going to college without his mother continuing their 'game'. He couldn't afford Eitoku on his own, and Makino had once stated that he couldn't pass the entrance exam of the worst high school in Tokyo, let alone a university entrance exam and it hurt for Tsukasa to admit that she was probably right.

When he wasn't thinking about his future he was thinking about the prom. The girls in his class were already discussing which designers had the better selections and how much they were 'intending' to spend on the dress. The price tags seemed to increase by the hour. Such conversations would have meant nothing to him only two months ago. At any time he could have gone and out spent them on a dress for Makino--which was what he had originally intended to do. But how was he to buy a dress, any dress, if all the money he was earning was going to the rent?

Wiping his brow again Tsukasa made his way quickly back the delivery truck and his supervisor. Without a word he lifted the last box and made his sixteenth and final trip into the storeroom. As he was heading back to the truck, Tsukasa finally noticed the help wanted sign hanging on the wall. They wanted a weekend pot washer, no experience necessary. An idea suddenly popped into his head.

Tsukasa quickly wrote down the information. After his shift was over he'd go and inquire about the position. In the month before the prom he could save enough money to at least buy some sort of dress for Tsukushi. And best of all, Tsukushi was working weekends at the dango shop. She'd never know until he surprised her with it.

"Doumyouji! Doumyouji!" rang a gruff deep voice. "Get your lazy ass over here. You're paid to haul, not dawdle."

"Yes sir!" replied Tsukasa with a smile.

* * *

He stood alone and confused. People were bustling by him without a glance. Some laughed with friends, while others made their way smartly through the open plazas with their rustling bags. But no matter what they were doing, everyone seemed confident and unintimidated by their surroundings. If he had half of their confidence, it would have been more than he could muster with his measly hard earned forty thousand yen in hand.

He had casually looked in the windows of his normal haunts: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc. and had cringed at the prices openly displayed. He didn't want to think of the prices of the clothes he would have been shown if he had actually walked in. Had that been how Makino felt every time he or his sister had dragged her off to shop or eat at an expensive fancy restaurant? That the zeros on the price tag could tie a noose around her neck and drag her into poverty for having the audacity to just stare at them?

Tsukasa sighed. He had no idea how to find a dress that fell within his new, much declined price range. After hours of searching he had finally broken down and had asked a group of girls where he could buy a prom dress. They quickly showed him a store they insisted was the best place. He winced at the bland tackiness of the store. Large 'for sale' signs were prominently displayed on most racks claiming ten to thirty percent off. Taking a big breath, Tsukasa gathered his courage. It was like no store he had ever entered before on his own, but it was in his common man's price range--after the sale markdown that is.

For once he was glad Eitoku had so many strange rules and policies made to separate the elite from the rest of Japan. While the rest of Japan had their proms in the beginning of March, Eitoku and Erin weren't graduating until the end of April. And since the students of Eitoku or Erin wouldn't be caught dead wearing formal attire from the type of store he was currently shopping at, the leftover dresses had been marked down.

Setting his pride aside, Tsukasa began to search the racks in earnest. No one would miss the inexpensiveness of the dress. The socialites of Eitoku knew money--and the lack thereof--when they saw it, but Tsukasa was determined to find a dress Makino would look absolutely stunning in, no matter its less than astronomical price tag.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for taking so long between updates. I finally got my first full time job and it's taken me a while to get used to it. Although I don't have as much time to write, I actually write more often--every week day during lunch now in fact. So while the chapters take longer to write, I'm actually writing them instead of just thinking about them.

Alright, next chapter I'm going to use Tsukushi's father's name. Should I use the anime's Makino Yasukichi or the jdrama's Makino Haruo? I'm slightly in favor of Haruo myself. I think it sounds better. Tell me what you think though, please!

I've decided that Eitoku has a different school calendar from the rest of Japan. Japanese schools usually graduate in the first week of March giving the seniors the whole month to take their entrance exams. The underclassmen go to school for the rest of March without any seniors until April 1, when everyone moves up into the next grade and a new school year starts. I just can't imagine how the manga chapters 20-34 all happened between February 1 (The day after Tsukasa's birthday) and the first week of March. I've also decided to eliminate the month break seniors have to sit through entrance exams at Eitoku since no one is actually expected to take anything but perhaps an Eitoku University course study entrance exam to get into some of the harder programs such as law and medicine. So Eitoku graduates the last week of April and starts a new school year May 1.


End file.
